Sorceress, Interrupted - By A. J. Menden Page 0,24

out of my grasp and started up the stairs. “Donald!”

Sure enough, his brother appeared at the top of the stairs, lit by the weird glow of my ball of energy. The look on his face was enough to make me take a step backward. Gone was the artistically disheveled and handsome man I’d recently slept with, replaced by someone who quite frankly looked out of his mind.

He was missing a shoe and his clothes were in shreds. I couldn’t tell if he’d done it himself or if someone else had. Blood ran down his arms from massive scratches and dripped onto the floor. I thought at first the cuts were made while destroying the room, but a closer look showed they were letters or numbers, like he’d been hacking some sort of message into his skin. Or maybe a ward. But the worst part was seeing his eyes, which were completely and totally blank. There was no one home in that gaze.

Joseph didn’t seem to notice. “Thank God! I’m sorry I left you, man!” He went to embrace him, bloody arms and all.

Donald’s blast of magic took him square in the chest. We stared in horror as Joseph crashed backward down the stairs, landing in the shattered glass and debris of the chandelier at the bottom. He didn’t move. Neither did his brother.

“What the hell?” Cyrus turned wild eyes on me. “I thought he said all the magic was drained out of him!”

“He’s one of the Brothers of Power,” I murmured. “I guess not even an Afieral spell’s going to be able to drain him completely.” I glanced back to the figure on the stairs, who was considering us with empty eyes. “But it’s obviously completely messed with his head.”

Too late I remembered what Wesley had said earlier: Joseph’s willpower as well as his magic was affected by the attack. We could only hope the damage Donald had suffered wasn’t permanent. And the damage Joseph had just suffered.

“Donald,” I said, in the most soothing voice I could muster. “Your brother brought us here to help you. He was worried about you.”

“Lizards in my brain,” Donald said, pulling at his hair and actually ripping a chunk out. “Their tongues are forked.”

“It’s okay,” I said, taking a cautious step forward. “We’ll get the lizards out, I promise.”

“Their numbers don’t add up,” Donald whined. He frowned as he saw me getting closer. “I don’t know you.”

“Yes, you do,” I said calmly. “I’m Fantazia. Remember?”

He blasted me with magic.

The fireball took me in the chest. Luckily, I’d been tracing a shield spell with my finger, so the spell didn’t hit me as hard as it had Joseph. It didn’t knock me off my feet, instead knocking me into Cyrus.

“She’s evil!” Donald shrieked.

Cyrus laughed and righted me. “Seems he does remember you.”

“If we survive this, remind me to kill you later,” I retorted.

Donald attacked again, ending conversation. “Make the evil burn!” We ducked as he threw another fireball in our direction. His eyes searched the room, I’m not certain for what. “Make it pay!” He released another gout of fire.

“He’s going to burn the building down,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. The front wall and door were now on fire.

“With us in it,” Cyrus agreed. “We should grab Joseph and get the hell out of here.”

“And leave Donald here?” I asked. Maybe I was getting sentimental in my old age, but I felt after having shared an (admittedly mediocre) evening with this man, I shouldn’t just run for the hills.

“You said it.”

“I can’t see the numbers, but they’re there!” Donald was shrieking. “With the lizards!”

I sighed and quickly spoke words to smother the fires. They fizzled out quickly, leaving a charred, blackened mess; this mansion was going to need some serious renovation. “You’re the one working with the EHJ—or at least trying to get in good with them. Shouldn’t you be trying to save this guy?”

Before Cyrus could answer, he got clobbered with a large chunk of wall; Donald had somehow magically torn it free and hurled it at him. The nut job was tearing the house apart since I’d put out his fires. Cyrus sank to the ground, groaning.

Donald had hurt his brother—possibly killed him—and knocked out Cyrus. This left me to face him alone. I thought of the many ways I could fight him, this very powerful and very crazed magic-user whom I’d once briefly considered good enough to share my bed, and decided on a course of action. I met his